Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
logarithmic scale

logarithmic scale

1 7.5
A way of showing numbers where each step is ten times bigger
  • noun
  • /ˌlɔɡəˈrɪðmɪk skeɪl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : escala logarítmica
  • Figure 18 shows those data in detail, using a logarithmic scale to span the more than 100-fold difference between the highest-investment countries (Mauritius and Cape Verde) and the lowest (Ethiopia and Sudan).

So it's more reasonable to work in a logarithmic scale.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • A logarithmic scale is used to present the cumulative performance.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Let's see what it looks like on a logarithmic scale:

    Blog text (1)

  • And this, this logarithmic scale on the Y axis, it represents antibody concentration.

  • An 8.9 quake is about 10 times the intensity of a 7.9 (it's a logarithmic scale, each point is 10x).

    Blog text (20)

  • The fertilizer data are shown on a logarithmic scale to bridge the nearly hundred-fold gap between the lowest and highest rates of fertilizer use per hectare.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The decibel scale is a logarithmic scale that helps to measure sound intensity accurately.

  • An 8.9 quake is about 10 times the intensity of a 7.9 on a logarithmic scale of earthquake magnitudes.

  • All pH levels are measured on a logarithmic scale from zero, which is very acidic, to 14, which is very basic.

Surface Forms

logarithmic scale singular
logarithmic scales plural

Morphology

logarithmic + scale

The phrase is directly compositional: 'logarithmic' qualifies the noun 'scale' to mean a scale that uses logarithms, so the overall meaning follows straightforwardly from the constituents. This is a standard mathematical construction found across many languages, so a learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended sense.

Etymology

Logarithmic scale comes from the idea that on a logarithmic scale each step is a fixed number of times bigger, often ten, than the one before, so the numbers 'jump' by multiplying instead of adding the same amount. That's why we use a logarithmic scale 'to show a wide range of values' in a small space, for example when comparing very small and very large numbers like sound volume or earthquake strength.